


Brighter Spirits

by PerfectlyHopeless



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AUTHOR AU, F/M, Lavellan and Leliana are roommates, Leliana has bunnies instead of Nugs, Minor Character Death in later chapters, Modern AU, Solas is an author, he also has hair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 23:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3747199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerfectlyHopeless/pseuds/PerfectlyHopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All of us have stories. Some start early on, others later in life. They start when we truly begin to feel alive, as though reality has hit us upside the head. Good or bad, we all have them. </p><p>My story could have started years ago, when I started living voluntarily in my van. It could have started when I moved in with my roommate and her rabbits, when I started working at her bookstore. </p><p>Instead it started with an author.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So that's what the 'S' stands for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there. You can call me Hopeless, and welcome to my first multi-chapter fic for this fandom. It's a modern AU because _maybe_ Solas won't disappear on us this time around ._.  
>  Also, I didn't keep the characters as their races, because it's easier to write them all as "normal" people. So don't be surprised when Bull shows up without horns.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy~

* * *

 

I had no intentions of working at a bookstore when I was younger, though it hadn't really been something I'd object to.

My parents traveled a lot when I was a child, dragging me along with them everywhere. By the time I was fifteen I had lived in more than twenty different cities across the country. Twenty different cities, twenty different schools,  and twenty failed attempts at a normal life. When I turned nineteen and finally moved out, I took my college funds and left.

I ended up on the streets not long after, but I had plenty of money saved that managing it wasn't hard at all.

It wasn't a bad life, if I'm being honest. I'd never had enough ambition to go of to college and earn a degree in anything particular. I didn't even know what I wanted to do with my life. Living in my van as a nomad was an experience I wouldn't have traded for the world and I lived on the road like that until I was about twenty-four, but it was getting harder to spend a minimum amount of money. I couldn't live like that forever.  

I befriended a nice lady named Leliana. She didn't seem to be much older than myself, maybe by only a few years, and lived in a little apartment with a couple of rabbits. She offered me a stable home and job at the bookstore she ran. It was minimum wage for starting, and would gradually increase to the point where I could pay for more than just the shared rent.

I would have had to have been an idiot to say no. I'd only known her for about a month, but she was kind and I felt as though I could trust her.

It didn't take long for me to get adjusted. The rabbits took to me instantly, to Leliana's surprise. I moved into the guest bedroom that had been vacant for a while. I didn't ask why about it. We all have skeletons in our closets. I'd decided to let hers stay as they were.

My first day on the job was simple. I learned how to organize the books and how the cash register worked. A few of her friends came in that same afternoon and she introduced me as her new roommate. They were all surprised to hear of me for the first time, but they seemed nice enough.

My life has changed drastically since then. And it all started with an author.

-_-_-_-

"Era!" Leliana called from the backroom. "How many copies of _Through The Veil_ do we have on display!?"

I sat down the stack of books I'd been carrying and stepped to the front.

_One, two, three..._

"About twenty! " I called back, poking my head around the corner. Leliana held a tablet in her hands, eyes glued to the screen as she checked the numbers.  

"That's good. Everything should be in order then," she said, the slightest Orlesian accent coloring her words gently. Apparently she was from Val Royeaux, but she didn't care for her home any longer. I couldn't blame her; our little town was pretty comfortable.

For a number of years now I'd been living with Leliana in the lovely town of Haven. It was quaint. All of our friends lived nearby and I knew where everything was. It was as though I'd lived here my whole life.

Nightingale Books was the only bookstore around for miles, so unless spending an nearly hour getting to the closest city was an appealing idea people were stuck with us. But no one seemed to mind. We carried copies of new books, old books, classics, comics, and even had a section of used books that were marked down. Managing the store was Leliana's job. I was only there to check the stocks when she was out, organize the backroom, clean up the front, and work the register. Which might sound like a lot of work, but I liked to stay busy.

Today was apparently supposed to be a big day. An author was coming through town, and more specifically to the bookstore to talk about and sign his books. It was dragging in people from neighboring areas and Leliana and I had to move bookcases around in order to make sure people could sit at the folding chairs we had set up.

I didn't understand what the big deal was. Varric was published and we'd never done this for him.

A sigh escaped from my lips as I stared at the covers of the books. _Through The Veil_  was already a bestseller, despite having only been out for a few months. From what I knew it was a fantasy novel. Good vs Evil, dragons and danger. That sort of thing.

The author was a mystery to me. I didn't know a whole lot about him aside from what I'd read on the author page. His name on the cover read ‘S. Fenral’ and there was nothing on the inside about what the 'S' stood for. When I looked in the back for more there wasn't even a picture, just more cheesy "he lived here and began writing at this point and now writes full time". What I knew about him couldn't fill the information you'd see about a missing person on a milk carton, and it bothered me. Famous people were supposed to be well known, but this guy? There was next to nothing.

"Era!" my name was called again. "What time is it!?"

I glanced up at the clock on the wall. "It's about six forty-five, why!?"

"The author wanted to come set up some things beforehand, he should be here soon!"

A sigh fell from my lips and I gathered the books I'd previously been carrying back into my arms. “We don’t even open until eight,” I grumbled to myself. I pulled a book from the stack and examined the spine, looking for the author and making my way to the proper shelf. Luckily for me it wasn't one of the shelves shoved towards the back.

Leliana continued to shout to me from the backroom for the next hour, ensuring that everything was in order. At nearly 7:30 I heard the bell above the door chime.

"The door may be open, but the store isn't!" I shouted from my spot in the shelves, trying to find the right author. "You can come back at eight like everyone else!"

There was a small crash and some cursing coming from the backroom. Leliana must have tripped over the little dog pen she kept Schmooples in.

"Don't mind her!" she said quickly, running through the hall and to the front. "I'm Leliana, the owner. And you must be him."

There was a chuckle that was unfamiliar. I poked my head around the shelves, brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what was happening. Leliana was the only one I could see and they were talking in soft tones, their words muffled.

 _Like hell am I being left out of this_ , I thought angrily, putting down the books and walking over to my roommate.

There were a number of things I'd imagined our author person to look like, not all of them flattering. I knew that he was only a few years older than myself at most, putting him in his early 30s, but that could mean a lot of things. This was not anything like I'd imagined.

He had strawberry blond hair that was cut in a very proper way, parted to the right and framing his face. His grey eyes met mine through a pair of thin framed glasses and his lips tugged into a slight smile.

"I'm assuming this is the owner of the voice that told me to leave?" he said, nodding to me. Leliana turned on her heel, eyes narrowing slightly at me. I swallowed out of fear. She was apparently friends with some dangerous people and staying on her good side was the best thing for me to do.

"Yes," she said, her tone of voice not matching her expression. After a moment she softened and gestured for me to come forward. I was hesitant to do so, but did anyways.

"This is Era, the only other employee here," she introduced.

I nodded to him as a greeting, my expression pulling into something like confusion. "You're... not what I expected."

The author raised a brow at this. "Is that so?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting," I said, my fingers playing with my charm bracelet. "Before now you weren't much more than the bio in the back of your book."

He laughed a little at this. "I'll take that as a compliment."

His reaction confused me, but I went with it. Varric was the only other author I'd ever met, and while I'd tried writing I didn't have the same eccentricities. It seemed as though once you were published you automatically weren't just a person anymore.

"Era will help you set up whatever you need," Leliana said. I turned to her in shock.

"Excuse you, I still have to finish shelving books so we can open," I snapped, narrowing my eyes at her. My arms folded over defensively. "You've been holed up in your office all day, how 'bout you help Sir Author here?"

The look she gave me scared me, as though she choking me with her mind. "Era..."

She didn't even have to say anything more. I put on a cheery smile and acted as though I didn't mind being pulled from my work.

I showed him to the section of the store we had cleared up for him. According to the email Leliana had gotten from his publisher, they wanted a table and microphone with speakers hooked up. The store wasn't exactly big enough for that, but technicians from the local theatre had come and set everything up for us during the night.

"I hope you weren't expecting anything over the top," I said sheepishly, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"It seems you're assuming this was my idea," he said, his expression amused. "I've never cared for public speaking, nor attention from crowds."

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't have gone into writing," I joked, shaking my head at the display of books.

"I never intended for this, actually," he admitted to me. "A close friend of mine suggested the idea of publishing. I only went along with it because she's usually right about such things."

"So it seems," I agreed. Shifting where I stood, I reached for the display and pulled off a book.

_I wonder..._

"Question," I started, looking from the cover to him.

The author's brow raised. "Yes?"

"What exactly does the 'S' stand for?"

It was quiet for a moment before he laughed at me, putting his knuckles to his mouth as he did so. I frowned, confused about what he found so funny.

"What?" I asked, putting the book back down.

"I apologize," he said before letting out a short cough. "I haven't been asked that question before."

"Really? Not even once?" That was interesting.

"Well, most people would have searched for such information on the internet. It's actually quite a relief to learn that you haven't done so."

My cheeks flushed out of embarrassment and I mentally kicked myself. "I... I'm not exactly tech savvy," I admitted, fingering at the little heart charm on my bracelet. "I tend to prefer getting my information through paper and ink, rather than pixels."

"You're quite an individual, Miss Era," he said, smiling slightly again. His grey eyes held an abstract kindness in them. It was different from normal people, and hard to explain properly. I didn't waste too much time trying to understand it.

"So I've been told," I began again, "but the 'S'..."

"It's Solas," he answered. My brow raised. "An odd name, I know. My editor suggested only putting the initial on the cover. To add mystery, as well as to prevent it from being off-putting to potential readers."

My head tilted to the side as I processed this. "Solas Fenral," I tested, thinking outloud. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "That's a nice name. Different, but not too different. If that makes any sense at all."

"It does, and thank you," he said, that slight smile remaining. "I would also like to apologize for keeping you from your work."

I scoffed at this and waved it off. "Don't worry about that, I can take care of the other stuff while you're over here doing your thing. With you around, I'll be done in an hour. People will be out of the way long enough for me to take care of the books and actually get off in time for a real lunch break,"

"I take it you don't often eat lunch?" Solas inquired.

"Oh I do," I assured him. "Leliana makes sure of that. It's just that this may be the first time in a while I manage to leave the building for lunch."

Talking with Solas was easier than I'd anticipated. Considering I hadn’t planned on saying much of anything to him at all, just a simple conversation was easier than whatever it’d been I’d been expecting.

We didn’t say a whole lot, seeing as we were still strangers, but we easily talked about books and good places to eat. Apparently he was native to the area, but hadn’t lived here for very long. That’s when it clicked as to why his publisher had chosen Nightingale for the public speaking event. The press were suckers for the whole “hometown writer” thing. A reporter would no doubt be showing up to put the ordeal in the paper. Maybe it’d even make the front page, given how quiet our town tended to be.

A small beeping broke up the conversation Solas and I were having, the alarm on my watch telling me it was time to turn the sign on the door.

“Looks like it’s time to open up,” I thought out loud, standing from the seat I’d taken. I pushed the fold-up chair back where it had been, noticing Solas watching me from the corner of my eye. I stood straighter and met his gaze, nodding. “Thanks for the conversation,” I said with a smile.

“The pleasure is mine,” Solas responded, a smile of his own pulling at the corners of his lips. “You’re quite the conversationalist.”

“I try,” I joked, spinning on my heel and turning to the front of the shop. A small crowd had already lined up outside, no doubt all of them were waiting to meet Solas. I wondered if they knew his first name, or if it was just me that wasn’t smart enough to use Google.

-_-_-_-

 

Solas was a natural at public speaking. Words fell off his tongue easily, leaving everyone captivated. He had such a nice voice as well, very smooth and telling. You could tell what he was feeling. At that moment he seemed comfortable.

Leliana came from behind me, startling me to the point where I nearly knocked over a stack of books.

"He has a fascinating manner of speech," she said as I readjusted the stack. "He talks the way he writes."

My head tilted a little at this. "Really?"

She looked at me, meeting my gaze with furrowed brows. "You haven't even read his book, have you?"

I could feel my face warm with embarrassment and I looked away. "I... no," I admitted.

Leliana let out an exasperated sigh, her chin falling to her collar. "Era..." she groaned, her fingers reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"I haven't had a lot of time to read recently," I tried to justify.

"You mean outside of that thing you've been working on for the last four months?"

"You...!" I bit my tongue to keep from shouting at her, but only because Solas seemed like a respectable guy and I didn't want to fuck up what had taken a lot of effort to put together.

“Nothing gets past me, Era,” she said with a smug smile. “I’ve seen you up at night, typing away on your laptop while you listen to your weird music.”

“It’s not weird!” I snapped, clenching my teeth immediately after. _No one around here likes post rock, I don't get it_.

She looked at me, arms folded over her chest. “Well, you should at least learn to shut your door.”

“I… I’ll work on that,” I mumbled, reaching up and twisting a piece of hair around my finger. When I noticed that I’d let her get to me, I stood straighter and tried to relax. Meeting her gaze, I said, “Besides, what I do in my free time is none of your business.”

"Everything is my business, Era," she said with a smirk. Before I could get another word in she reached under the counter and placed a book in my hands. Of course it was a copy of _Through the Veil_.

"Why?" I asked, confused as to what she was doing.

"Read it tonight," she told me. "Maybe it'll give you and your new friend something to talk about."

My brows furrowed. "Solas isn't staying after this, I thought."

Leliana maintained that smile of hers. It was a knowing smile, as though she had a secret she couldn't wait to share. "He'll be around."

I was still confused but didn't question her. It would only lead to question after question and I didn't feel like going through that never ending circle.

"Fine," I complied, setting the book by the register. "I'll ignore my work to read this thing for you."

"I'm doing this for you," she explained. "I have plans, but first read."

I rolled my eyes and looked back to the makeshift stage. Solas was answering questions, and for a brief moment his gaze met mine. The slight smile that formed on his face brought one to mine. I decided then that I wouldn't mind the chance for another conversation with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll post the next chapter when I'm done with it, I hope you stick around ^_^


	2. It's Not A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, if you're reading this then that means you found the first chapter interesting enough to continue reading. For that I thank you ^_^
> 
> I'll let you read, then. Have fun~

* * *

 

I stared at the TV, my right hand absentmindedly petting the dark brown rabbit sitting in my lap while I only half paid attention to the show I was watching. His lop ears were so soft, and he sighed happily as I rubbed them.

"Do you know what I should do Maury?" I asked the bunny. He didn't do anything that might have let me known that he cared, but I liked to think that he understood. I disturbed him slightly as I buried my face into his fluff, mumbling, "You're so helpful."

I was faced with a predicament that most others wouldn’t think much of, I think. Or at least they wouldn't have made as big a deal out of it. When I was cleaning up the Nightingale after we'd closed, I found a note with my name on it.

 _I enjoyed spending time with you, and I would like to spend more._  
_If you don't mind, I’d like to have lunch with you tomorrow. I’ll come by the Nightingale around noon._   
_-Solas_

I wasn’t sure what to do. I’d never been one for relationships, friends or otherwise. I’d only recently made a stable home here, and the friends I had were because of Leliana. Getting close to people was hard. Probably some lingering after effect that came with living in too many places for a short span of time.

But it was just lunch. It couldn’t hurt to go out and see what would happen. Were I still in contact with my parents they’d have been overjoyed after telling me I should’ve settled down by now, a better job with a spouse and kids. It was nice that gender didn’t matter to them when it came to my significant other, but the fact they expected me to have someone like that was troubling.

“Alright, Maury,” I told him. He twitched at the sound of my voice, but was still content so long as I was petting him. “I’ll go. But just for lunch! I mean, if things go well, then maybe…”

“Are you talking to the rabbits again?”

I groaned at the sound of Leliana’s voice. “She’s caught us, Maury. She knows we’re plotting to destroy her, take Schmooples, and drive across the country in my van.”

“That plan is terrible,” she said, stepping into the dining area and setting down bags of Greek take-out. “Rabbits need more space than what your van can provide, and you don’t even have money for gas without me.”

“Fair enough.” I scooped up Maury and shifted him to the couch cushion beside me. He got comfortable and easily fell back asleep.

Leliana stared at him as I stepped over, a fond smile on her face. “The two of you are so cute together.”

“I’m just happy these bunnies like people,” I said. “Rabbits aren’t usually so relaxed, right?”

“It’s definitely odd to not have to do much to gain their affection, yes,” she said. Her gaze returned to the bags and she began pulling out the trays. “One gyro with a side of pasta salad, as you requested.”

A grin pulled at my face as I took my food and a plastic fork. “Thank you,” I singsonged, taking my food back to where I’d been sitting.

Maury’s nose twitched at the smell of my food and he woke up to crawl over towards my lap. He looked up at me with his brown eyes and I felt my heart melt a little at the sight of his cute face.

“Oh fine,” I told him, giving up and pulling a couple strands of shredded lettuce from my gyro. The greens were gone in a matter of seconds.

“You’re teaching him bad habits,” Leliana complained, sitting on the chair to the left of the couch.

“It’s just lettuce,” I argued, patting Maury’s head. “And I didn’t give him any treats while you were gone. I did refill their food bowls with greens for you, though.”

“Thank you for that, I meant to do it earlier.” Leliana reached over and grabbed the remote, stopping the show and starting to search through Netflix for something else. We didn’t have cable. Only Netflix and Hulu so that we could save money.

I often wondered if Leliana was truly okay with housing her employee, given that she technically paid for everything. We were a decent match in terms of roommates, however. We respected each other’s privacy and shared equal responsibility for chores and keeping the place clean. It had to stay clean in order for Schmooples and Maury to be able to roam around freely and safely.

There had been a rabbit before Maury. Her name was Boulette, but she died before I came to town. When I officially moved and after Leliana noticed I’d been living well with Schmooples, she adopted the brown lop eared bunny and gave him to me as a birthday present. To continue the apparent tradition of giving rabbits strange names, I called him Maurice. Maury for short, obviously.

Schmooples was really only fond of Leliana, but for some reason tolerated me. Over the years I learned that her on-again-off-again girlfriend had given him to her as a gift early in their relationship. I had no clue what the status between the two of them was at that point.

“So did you find the note?” she said as she clicked through shows.

My fork froze as it was on it’s way to my mouth. I turned towards her and saw a sly smile creep up on her face.

“How…?”

“Nothing gets past me, Lavellan,” she said, using my last name for the dramatic effect she enjoyed. I raised a brow and she returned to normal. “You were already out for lunch when Solas left, and he asked me to make sure you found it.”

“Well, I guess there’s no better place than right beside the register where anyone could have found it,” I mumbled, stabbing my pasta salad while handing another piece of lettuce to the rabbit beside me.

“What did it say?” she asked, not letting the subject fall so easily.

_Oh come on._

“He wants to meet for lunch tomorrow,” I complied, switching to my gyro and taking as big a bite as I could to make sure I couldn’t answer her questions easily.

It was too late for me now. She was interested. “Are you going to do it?”

“I…” My face pinched and I swallowed, reaching for my glass of water from earlier to swallow down the food in my mouth. “I guess so,” I said finally.

“I thought you two hit it off earlier,” she said, starting on her own food.

“We… we weren’t _hitting_ anything, Leliana.” I stared at her in disbelief. “I mean, yeah. He’s pretty easy to talk to, and I could see being friends with him. But you know as well as I that I’m not... good at relationships.”

“I’m not saying you have to fall in love with him. I was just thinking that you could use a new friend,” she started. She bit into a piece of steak from her kabob and chewed for a moment. “You seem as though you could become good friends, I mean. You’re a writer. He’s a writer...”

“I may write but I’m not good at it,” I insisted, cutting her off.

Her eyes rolled. “The simple act of writing makes you a writer,” she explained. “You may not think that it’s well written, but just writing a single sentence can make anyone a writer.”

A groan escaped my lips, my irritation rubbing away when Maury flopped against my thigh. He was begging for attention at this point. “Still…”

Leliana was damned and determined by now. “Alright, then. If things don’t go well, I’ll take responsibility for the chores for two weeks.”

A bet. She knew I couldn’t resist a bet like that, especially with such great rewards on my part.

“What do you get out of this?” I asked.

“You mean if it goes well?” she inquired. I nodded. “The pleasure of seeing you happy.”

I blinked. “Are you being serious?”

She smiled. It wasn’t malicious or anything similar this time. It was just a genuine I-care-about-my-friend smile. “I am.”

 _Huh_.

“Well. In that case, we have a deal.” I set my fork down and reached across the couch to her outstretched hand, sealing the deal with a simple shake.

-_-_-_-

The next day wasn't as busy as I'd thought it would be. The last time we'd had an event at the store it brought attention to Nightingale, dragging in tons of customers. It was great for business while it lasted.

Sadly, Sundays were always pretty slow. Unlike most towns we weren't that bad when it came to religious pricks. But there were still a few, which meant that the church on the western side had attendees and the bells could be heard at all hours thanks to kids messing around. Around noon, as he'd said he would, Solas walked into the bookstore.  

He was much more casual than I'd last seen him. He wore a dark green shirt with a cream colored sweater over it, jeans and converse finishing the look. He looked nice, and I suddenly felt slightly self-conscious over my jeans and hoodie.

_Don't think of it as a date. Don't think of it like that. It'll feel weird. Just treat him like he's a friend._

My fingers automatically started to play with my charm bracelet, finding the little heart and giving it a twist.

"You always seem to surpass my expectations," I commented, nodding to him.

"I'm glad I can impress you," he said with a smile. "I take it you found my note?"

"I did." I tucked a strand of ginger hair behind my ear. "And I've decided to say yes."

The smile he wore widened. His expression quickly turned into confusion when we heard sounds coming from the backroom. I closed my eyes, trying to pretend that Leliana did not just trip over the bunny pen again.

 _Oh my god, why can’t you leave him in the apartment?_ I wanted to ask, refusing to look behind me as Leliana stumbled in.

"Are you leaving now?" she inquired, trying to act casual.

I glared daggers at her, frustrated. She didn't notice. "I guess so," I said finally.

She didn't even try to act indifferent. "I'll take care of things while you're gone," she said with a grin. "You go have fun."

I stared at her for a moment, still finding it hard to believe she wasn't going to ask anything of me. I didn't bother questioning her. She'd never once lied to me, never given me any reason to be suspicious. But this was just odd.

"Um, okay," was the most intelligent thing my brain could possibly come up with at that point. I stepped around her and the counter, still fidgeting with the charms of my bracelet.

When Solas offered me a smile I couldn't help but return the gesture. Together we left the building and started down the street.

Once again conversation came easily. Part of me thinks he was just grateful someone didn't know everything about him, so we were on even ground. I told him my last name to even it out some more, since he'd had to tell me his first. From there we went on to basic background. Where we grew up, what school was like. It was entertaining to watch how his eyes widened when I managed to name all of the school’s I’d attended.

“How do you remember them all?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Years of practice,” I said as we sat down. Solas had decided to bring me to a Chinese take-out place. I was pleasantly surprised by this and my comfort levels were shooting up from the familiarity of the setting. "Never had a good chance to make friends until I came here. I was living in my van for a while."

"Why is that?" Solas asked.

I smirked at him. "Woah there," I joked. "Getting personal there, aren't you?"

"Only a little," he said. "Alright, Era. I suppose it's only fair that I share some of my past." I placed my chin into my hands, watching him like a child. "I grew up around here and went to college in the city. I still live there, actually."

"Are you staying for much longer?" I asked.

He met my gaze with a slight smile. "That depends."

I felt my stomach twist even he said this. "Um," I started, voice shaking slightly. "I should tell you honestly that I'm not the best at relationships. I wouldn't mind befriending you, but..."

He was instantly apologetic, his eyes eyes growing wide behind the thin frames of his glasses. “I never meant to make you uncomfortable, I was only hoping to get to know you better," he tried explaining. I could see the gears turning in his head, his expression becoming panicked as a certain anxiety took some control. I almost felt guilty for his guilt. He bowed his head. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," I assured him. "No harm done."

He was silent for a moment, making sure I meant what I said before he spoke. "If you're sure..."

"I am."

Solas held my gaze for a moment longer before nodding. “Then can we start over?"

"Of course," I said. A smile tugged at my lips and I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table and my chin on my hands. "So... I forget."

His head tilted at this. "Forget what?"

"What does the 'S' stand for again?"

-_-_-_-

Lunch went well after the initial awkwardness wore off. Things softened up easily after we ordered our food and I ignored the lingering feeling that Leliana had wanted it to be a date.

Solas was respectful and friendly, maintaining the same disposition he'd had towards me originally. He seemed to find me amusing, my added commentary and opinions pulling his lips upward until at last the smile became a grin. At that point I'd informed him that he should smile like that more often. He'd made a comment about such a thing going against his character, which didn't lessen the smiles on either of our faces.

After we ate and chatted a little while longer, I became hyper-aware of how much time was passing. The clock on the wall ticked loudly until it was all I could hear. Solas noticed my discomfort and inquired about what was wrong. We finished eating quickly, then, to make sure I got back by the time my lunch break ended.

Leliana watched closely from the front counter as Solas walked me back to The Nightingale, keeping her expression plain.

"I will be in town for a little while longer," he started. We stood outside the door, and while he couldn't feel a thing Leliana's gaze burned into the back of my skull. "A friend of mine lives in the area, and I'd already planned to visit her.”

“You mean the friend that convinced you to publish?” I inquired.

Solas nodded with a smile. “Yes, her. Anyways, I’ll be spending tomorrow with her, but if you’d like to have lunch again on Tuesday…”

“Yes,” I said, unable to stop the smile that had made its way across my face.

He was surprised by how fast I’d agreed, and honestly I was too. But he was fun to be around.

“In that case, I’ll see you in two days,” he said, nodding.

“Sounds good to me.”

The two of us said our farewells, leaving each other with promises and what I assumed was shared excitement.

Leliana kept staring at me. Which strangely enough wasn't that weird. But the weird way she kept smiling was what was unnerving.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I took my place at the cash register.

"Are you going to see him again?" she asked.

Of course, she just couldn't stay out of my private life when it came to things like this. It wasn't even that private, all we'd done was eat lunch together.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie, sighing. "We are. But not for for a couple days."

"What's this about Ginger going out?" the always familiar voice of Varric Tethras called from the front door. I hadn't even heard the bell ring. He smiled at me as he spoke, stepping up to the counter.

"Era has accidentally caused an innocent man to fall in love with her," Leliana supplied. "You remember the guest we had yesterday, yes?"

"That Solas guy?" Varric seemed a little miffed at the mention of him. I was frustrated that everyone else seemed to know his full name. "What of him?"

"The two got along rather well and he invited our little one out to lunch." Leliana seemed way too pleased about absolutely everything.

"It was only lunch!" I protested, getting frustrated. "And he's not in love with me. No one can be in love with someone after only a couple days. That's not how the world works."

Varric shook his head at me. "You just have to suck the fun out of things."

"I'm not fun sucking, I'm being realistic."

"Same difference." Varric slumped against the counter, looking up at me. “You are trying to be an author yourself, aren’t you?”

I froze when he said that. “I-I…”

He grinned. “Come on, Ginger. We all know. There's no reason to get embarrassed about it."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew how bad I am at writing," I grumbled, sitting on the office chair behind me.

"There are very few bad writers," he corrected. "I really doubt you're one of them. Everyone has potential, you just have to work at it."

"I've been working at it since I was in high school. You'd think that after so long I'd be better than this."

Varric shook his head at me. "Okay, Ginger. If you let me read some of your work, then I'll see about giving you some help."

My eyes widened. "You'd do that for me?"

He smiled. "Of course."

I grinned at him, leaning across the counter to give him a hug. "Thank you, thank you!" I cheered, grinning as he hugged me back.

Leliana laughed at my reaction. "Maybe she'll show you the thing that's been keeping her from sleeping for the last few months."

"No no no, that is staying right where it is," I said, feeling my face start to warm.

"Ginger's turning red," Varric pointed out, smirking.

"You know as well as I that my face gets red no matter what emotion I'm expressing," I argued, fidgeting. "Red when I'm smiling, crying, or angry."

"You left out embarrassed," Leliana supplied.

I sighed. "That's a given, though."

"She's just emotive, Nightingale," Varric continued. "She'd make a terrible spy."

"Lucky for me no one cares what my face looks like." I kicked the ground, sending myself and the chair spinning. "I work in a bookstore, not for some secret organization. Leliana on the other hand..."

She laughed at this. "That's quite the accusation there."

"You don't deny it?"

Leliana smirked at me, shaking her head as she turned and disappeared into the backroom.

"She scares me," Varric commented, staring at the doorway. "Mostly in a good way."

I laughed at that, the sound coming through my nose as a snort. "She's terrifying. Its a good thing we're on her good side."

"You can say that again." Varric shook his head. "Anyways, I did come here for a reason. I pre-ordered some books that should be in today."

"Leliana takes care of the orders. I don't know if they're here or not, but I'll check in the back for you."

He smiled up at me. "Thanks again, Ginger."

"That's what I'm here for."

There was a bookshelf set up in the storage room that we used to hold orders. Orders weren't placed with us very often, which wasn't unusual considering our small size. Varric was one of the few people in town that did so on a regular basis.

As expected, there was a bundle of books held together with a rubber band. A note card with Varric's name on it assured me that it was what I was looking for.

"Where do you find the time to read all of these things?" I asked, pulling the rubber band and punching prices into the register.

"I find it where I can. To write, first you must read," he said, channeling his inner teacher. "You learn about how things should flow, and the variations in writing styles. Helps you form your own."

I smirked at his response. "Easy there, Sensei. You're not working with me just yet."

"Speaking of which, when do you want to do that?"

"Hm..." I hummed as I punched in the last book. "Thirty-four eighty-nine," I told him the final price. He handed me the money and I gave him back eleven cents in change. "How 'bout Wednesday during my lunch break?"

"Sounds good to me." He smiled at me again. "I'll see you then, Ginger."

"See you later, Varric," I said, smiling back at him.

I sat back in the office chair, kicking at the carpet. Back to work, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made my Lavellan somewhat demi-romantic because why the hell not? No worries, Era and Solas will get together eventually, I'm just a sucker for a build-up and stuff. 
> 
> Fun fact: Era in elvish means "story" or "tale", so you can see why I've made her a writer. I'm also happy to be able to start bringing in the other characters. Gotta love Varric and his nicknames.  
> You'll see a majority of them together at some point. I'm hoping that they're staying as in character as possible for this AU, Considering the fact that it is an AU and they're in a different setting, I feel like that gives a little more flexibility. But I'm going to keep them as intact as possible.
> 
> Friendly notice that I adore feedback. A single comment will make my day for at least a week. Even an emoticon makes me giddy, but if you don't want to I understand. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you guys have a great day ^_^


	3. A Lack Of Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe you just have too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still here, I thank you very much. This chapter is pretty much filler, but there'll be more exciting stuff to come.  
> On the bright side we introduce more characters! That's gotta be worth something right?
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoy ^_^

* * *

 

_No... that couldn't possibly work. But what about...? Ugh, no._

It was only 11 AM and already I was suffering from the two words that have been known to make even the greatest and strongest of men quiver before them.

Writer's block.

I'd suffered before, of course. It's an inevitability that every writer has to deal with at many points in their life. When your brain flops and leaves you staring blankly at your screen or paper, frustration slowly taking hold of you and driving you closer and closer to madness.

I was staring at my phone screen while on duty when it truly hit me, my document open in the Google docs app. My thumb scrolled through the document, a neverending sea of words. By now there had to have been over a hundred thousand words, considering how I worked on it whenever I found myself able to. The slowness of the week helped with that.

It was a mess of a story, honestly. The plot was scrambled, the setting confusing, and my main character felt like so much of a Mary Sue that it actually hurt. Not metaphorical/figurative hurt either, but a very literal hurt. Every time I reread what I’d written it made me want to print out the pages and burn them before deleting the file.

These thoughts crossed my mind very often, but I never did it. I’d been working so hard for so long and I was almost done. If I could push through to the end, then later I’d be able to pretend it never existed. Use the learning experience to do better on whatever I did next.

The front door of the shop opened, the little bell ringing. I looked up from my phone and sighed.

“Welcome to The Nightingale,” I said in as cheery a voice as I could muster.

“Well, you sound upset,” an always comforting voice said from the doorway. I looked up and grinned at the familiar face. “Luckily for you, I come baring treats.”

“Dorian!” I cheered, standing up and running over to him. He caught me in his arms, hugging me.

“Hello Era,” he said, laughing. I let go of him and watched as he put the plastic bag he carried on the counter.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, returning to my spot behind the counter. “And what did you bring me?”

“Iren wanted me to get something special for Krem’s birthday tonight,” Dorian said, mentioning his partner and said partner’s little brother. “That big lug will do anything for his brother.”

I stared at him blankly for a moment. “But what did you bring me?”

Dorian shook his head, a smile teasing at his lips beneath the curled mustache. “I stopped by Vivienne’s Bakery…”

My eyes widened and I immediately started rummaging through the bag. I grinned when I saw the smaller box and pulled it out, licking my lips at the promise of the treats inside. “I _love_ tiny cakes.”

“Believe me, I’m aware. You would rather throw all the dashing men you meet aside and just go straight for the desserts.”

I smiled at him, opening the box. They were my favorite, chocolate and vanilla swirl with raspberry... something on the icing. Whatever it was, it was good.

“Tell Viv she makes the best cakes ever next time you stop by there,” I said, taking a massive bite out of the little thing.

“I’m pretty sure that would just boost her already inflated ego even further, but if you really want me to then alright."

"So long as _I_ don't actually have to speak to her," I said. "I always think I know how she'll react, but then she just frowns at me."

"She's like that with everyone, sadly."

I shrugged, more interested in my treats. "So how's Iren doing?"

"Oh he's fretting over the little Krem puff," Dorian explained. "You know how he is. Supportive big brother and all."

"Krem's voice is getting pretty deep, isn't it?" I asked, taking another bite out of the cake.

"Yes, but it’s also cracking like a teenage boy’s right now. Needless to say he's thrilled."

I smiled at this. It was good to hear that Krem was doing well on hormones, and that Iren was more than happy to help his younger brother through the process of transitioning.

"How old is Krem now?"

"He'll be twenty-six this evening." He sighed. "Our little boy is growing up."

"Dorian, there's less of an age difference between you and him than between you and Iren," I pointed out, biting into another cake.

"And?"

I shook my head at him, swallowing to speak. "You're so odd."

"Of course," he said with a smug smile. "It's a part of my natural charm.”

My eyes rolled at this.

“Before I forget,” Dorian started. “Iren wants to have a party for Krem on Saturday. Would you be interested in tagging along?”

I raised a brow at this. “Birthday parties? I thought we stopped doing those. Something about being too old for them?”

Dorian leaned against the counter as he spoke. “We did, but because it’s Krem’s first birthday being legally a man Iren wants to do something special for him.”

A smile tugged at my face. Iren was a massive guy, really tall and mostly muscle with scruff let instead of an actual beard. While he looked intimidating, he was also the most gentlemanly person I knew and had a huge heart. “Well how can I say no to that?”

“Knowing you, you can’t,” he said.

Again I rolled my eyes. “Gimme a time and place, and I’ll be there.”

“Saturday at eight, Iren’s place,” he said. I pulled up my notes and typed in that information. “I’m sure they’ll both be thrilled to see you.”

“Of course they will.” He lifted a brow at this and I smirked. “No one can resist the mystery behind the girl that once lived in her van.”

“Era Lavellan, you are many things," my friend started. "Mysterious isn’t exactly one of them.”

“As far as you know. Maybe that's just part of the mystery.” I smirked at him as I finished off the little cake.

Dorian shook his head at me, but I saw his smile. He liked being around me just as much as I enjoyed being around him.

"I hope you plan on finding a way to put that van into whatever you finally publish, " he said, changing the subject.

I laughed at that, covering my mouth so that crumbs wouldn't fall out. "That's a joke, right?" I asked. Dorian just smiled at me, a look in his eyes I didn't like. It was entirely too optimistic. 

"Not this time," he said. "We're all waiting for it, you know. When you finally publish something. Varric has a whole party planned, Vivienne has a cake designed, and Cassandra is eagerly awaiting the chance to read whatever you put out."

I groaned, sitting back in the chair and holding my face in my hands. "You guys are putting way too much faith in me."

"I don't think we have enough," he argued. "Seeing how little you have in yourself, I think it's more than reasonable."

"I appreciate it, but at the rate I'm going I don't think I'll have anything to publish any time soon."

"Not with that attitude," he laughed.

"Dorian..."

He leaned against the counter, lowering himself down to my level. "I'm not letting you give up on this," he told me. "You've been writing for years and you've told me about how badly you want to do this."

Dorian's gaze met mine and held it, both of us staring each other down. My eyes began to water and I let out a whine as I blinked, rubbing at my eyes.

"You're an ass," I complained, giving his shoulder a shove.

"But you still love me anyways," he teased.

I reached out and put a hand on his cheek. "Of course I do." My tone was sarcastic but the sentiment was real.

Dorian beamed at me, smiling a smile that could break a million hearts.

I found it amusing what a lady killer Dorian could be, considering just how gay he really was. I had no attraction to him in any way other than platonic, and he felt the same towards me, but we still flirted with each other. The fact that nothing could come from it was comforting for me, so I could have fun with it. Dorian simply found it entertaining. Win-win situations were always enjoyable.

"You know, I thought that you'd be here to ask me about the guy that's been asking me to lunch," I said, licking the icing off of another little cake. "Since you seem to know all the town's secrets. Or mine, at the very least."

"I usually do, but not this one," he said, wide eyed and surprised. "Could it truly be possible that my little imp has found someone worthy of her attention?"

I rolled my eyes. "If you really wanna put it that way, then go ahead. But I'm working on getting to know him first."

"So you've gone on multiple dates with this fellow," Dorian said. "Why have you kept me in the dark about him?"

"If you really have to know,  his name is Solas," I said, hoping to satisfy some of Dorian's curiosity.

"Solas? Like the author?"

My expression pinched at this. "Am I the only that didn't know that's what the 'S' stood for?"

"You're likely the only person I know that doesn't know how to work a computer," he said. I clenched my hands into fists, relaxing at the sight of the surprised expression he wore. "Wait, you mean he _is_ the author?"

"We met at the event this past Saturday," I explained, brushing flyaway strands of hair out of my face. "He asked me out to lunch Sunday and we met yesterday as well."

"Please please tell me that you have his phone number," Dorian pleaded, almost desperately.

My gaze fell on my phone and I unlocked the screen, starting to scroll through my contacts. "I got it yesterday, but why?"

Dorian smiled and leaned over the counter, taking hold of my shoulders. "That right there is a good sign, Era."

"Why?" I repeated.

"You don't typically like people," he explained, letting me go. My brow raised. "For you to share contact information with him so quickly must mean he's special."

"We get along well, he respects boundaries, and he's easy to talk to." I stared at my phone screen for a moment. "But it's too soon for anything to come of it."

"Even so, it's progress." He gave me another smile. "You don't get to keep secrets like that from me anymore, understand?"

I sighed, shaking my head at him. I didn’t really care if he knew about what little love life I had. "Oh fine, you big lug."

Dorian grinned. "Fantastic!"

“Dorian, don’t you have treats to deliver?”

He pretended to look offended by this. “You’re already tired of my company?”

I laughed at him. “No, but Varric will be coming over for lunch today to help me out with writing stuff."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, if that's the case then I won't keep you any longer."

I smiled. "See you later, Dorian."

"Let me know if anything at all happens between you and your author," he reminded me, gathering the bag and starting for the door.

"I'll do what I can, but no promises," I joked.

He left with a soft smile as he wished me good luck.

-_-_-_-

"You're a writer?" Solas's head tilted a little as he spoke, as though he was a puppy.

I stabbed into my noodles with my chopsticks. We'd gone to the Chinese place for lunch again. "Technically, yes."

"What kinds of stories do you write?" he asked, meeting my gaze. His grey eyes were really pretty.

"Terrible ones," I replied. "No matter what my friend says, they're terrible."

Varric had been frustratingly optimistic about my writing. I'd printed out a couple of short stories that I had written (one a post-apocalyptic/sci-fi, the other a random drabble without a real plot) and gave him a red pen, telling him to go through and show me what needed work.

The amount of red marks that weren't on my pieces when he was done angered me. Aside from a few spots he had actually enjoyed what I'd written. I found it so hard to believe that I could write anything worth a damn that it pissed me off.

Solas drank some of his water before speaking. "Your friend?"

"His name is Varric," I explained. "He's a published author. He's put out a variety of books, and he offered to look over some things that I wrote."

"Did it not go well?" he inquired.

I shrugged, slurping up the noodles between my chopsticks. "It wasn't bad, I suppose," I said finally. "He didn't see a whole lot wrong while he was editing, which I found incredibly frustrating."

"What's that?"

"Because as much as I love to write, I have next to no confidence in myself when it comes to my writing." I picked up my Sprite and used my tongue to pull my straw to my mouth.

Solas nodded. "I think I understand what you mean."

My brow raised. "Yeah?"

He smiled at me. "A writer spends a great deal of time doing something in a personal setting, hyper-aware of everything that they're doing. The little things that people don't see as mistakes, what they easily overlook, are all that writers can see."

I let out a short laugh, the corners of my lips twitching upwards. "Well put."

His expression was soft as he met my gaze for a brief moment. "I'm sure you were thinking the same thing."

"To an extent, I suppose," I said, smirking again.

“Great minds think alike,” he said.

“I find it hard to believe that my mind is great in any sense of the word.”

Solas lifted a brow at me. “You don’t seem to have much confidence in yourself.”

“I have enough to get me by,” I said, sipping at my drink through the straw. “Maybe the problem here is that you have too much in me.”

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head at me. “Perhaps, though I doubt that’s the case.”

I watched him closely for a moment, trying to figure out all of his little mannerisms. So far there wasn’t much, aside from the way he’d occasionally give his glasses a nudge up the bridge of his nose to put them back into place.

We’d been on a total of three lunch “dates” since we'd met, and because he’d be leaving for the city at the end of the week a part of me feared that I’d never see him again. Not really in a romantic way, but it almost felt as though I was a teenager again. As though my parents were packing up the few belongings we had to move into another apartment in another new place. Only this time I wasn’t going anywhere, it was the friend.

"Is something troubling you?" he asked me, noticing that I'd started to space out.

I shook my head, not wanting him to worry about me. "No, lost in thought," I told him.

Solas tilted his head a little again. "What are you thinking about?"

"About you," I said honestly, meeting his gaze. He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to elaborate. I continued, "You're going back home soon. It's weird."

"Is that so?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I've gotten used to having you around."

"You sound surprised," he noted.

"Because I am." I played with my straw, stirring the ice as I pieced together what I wanted to say. "Maybe it's a bit soon, but I think of you as a friend."

He smiled at this. "I feel the same towards you."

I couldn't help but smile at this, biting at my lips to try and control it. A friend. An actual friend. I felt like a kid again, growing close to a random classmate during recess as we played on slides and swings. Instead, our playground here consisted of chopsticks, drinks, and conversations. Both had a similar effect: a way of learning about another person. I liked what I'd learned so far about Solas.

Even though I didn't know a whole lot about him, I found myself wanting to learn more.

It was different.

We chatted about simple things for a while longer until it was time for me to go back to The Nightingale.

Solas walked me back to the store just as he'd done before. The smile on my face stayed even as we traveled down the sidewalk, the light conversation we made enjoyable. I was almost sad when we arrived. He would be leaving Saturday, giving me only two more possible lunch "dates".

The prospect of spending more time with him sounded nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out a human name for Iron Bull was awkward and odd to think about, but I think that this will do for now. Plus Krem is his brother here because those two act like siblings ingame. Also, Krem's character makes me very happy. So yeah.  
> Dorian makes a great best friend. I hope he's staying as in character as possible. Ingame he's one of Era's better friends, along with Sera. Odd, considering she's romanced Solas and those three don't usually go together.
> 
> I'm rambling about random things at this point. In any case, I hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far and decide to stick around a while ^_^
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, but not necessary


	4. Alive and Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It felt like we were the only ones...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much longer than any of my others. In my document it's at nearly 16 pages. I wrote most of the end while half-asleep last night, so if there are errors I haven't caught please let me know~
> 
> At any rate, thanks for reading to this point and I hope you guys enjoy ^_^

* * *

 

“Era’s got a boyfriend,” Sera sing-songed when I saw her Friday night. She was a bartender at Skyhold, one of the only bars in town. Grinning, she popped the top off of a bottle of beer and handed it to me.

“Oh my god, shut up,” I said, rolling my eyes and bringing my drink up to my lips.

“But it’s true,” she insisted, rinsing out a glass in the sink behind her. “You’ve gone out with him almost every day this week.”

“For _lunch_ ,” I clarified, gesturing to her with the bottle. “Societal rule dictates that _platonic_ relationships have lunch dates.”

“Your pretentious socie-whatever can kiss my ass, because I’m calling it.” Sera leaned against the counter, smirking at me.

“There can’t be anything between us if we only go out for lunch," I argued. "If we went out for dinner, then you could say otherwise."

"A date is a date, E," she insisted, brushing back blonde hair. "You can be in denial all you want, but everyone else knows the truth. And you'll have to face it someday."

I groaned and brought the bottle to my lips again, swallowing down a few gulps. It was nights like these when I wished that I was more lightweight than I was. Despite my small size, it would take a few drinks to start feeling any effects. Iren liked that about me.

"That's how you do it," Sera said, giggling. "Drink to forget, just like old times."

Her words stung slightly and I set the bottle down, staring at it. She noticed the change in behavior and reached out to give my shoulder a nudge.

"Oh come on, you know I didn't mean nothin' by it," she complained.

"I know I know," I assured her.

She nodded and turned on her heel, tending to other patrons. I stared at my drink, lost in thought.

Sera had been a good friend for a long while. She was the first friend I'd made on my own when I settled down, and for a while had been more than a friend. It was different, and the first real relationship I'd ever been in. Our fling lasted a few months before we came to a mutual agreement that we worked better as just friends.

"Kinda funny that you've bagged yourself a famous person, considering what a shut-in you are," Sera commented.

"I am not a shut-in. And fame is different for writers," I explained. "You don't just recognize them on the street, because technically it's their stories that are famous. You can recognize a story when someone brings them up, but the author is an afterthought."

"If that's how it is, then why do you want to be one so much?"

I shrugged. "Just because, I suppose."

"You're a loony," Sera teased. "Here's hoping this author person of yours has a thing for pessimism and terrible attempts at philosophy."

I rolled my eyes at this, drinking down the rest of my beer before handing her the bottle. She exchanged it for a glass of water, following the same routine we'd had for years now.

"So are you going to that party thing tomorrow?" Sera started. "For the Bull's little brother?"

A smirk tugged at my lips at the sound of her teasing nickname for Iren, called Bull for his stubbornness and size. "Of course I am, and I plan on drinking them both under the table," I said proudly.

Sera let out a little snort. "God knows if anyone could out drink that cow it's you."

I laughed at this, shaking my head. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "Just curious." Her light blue eyes lit up and a smile stretched across her face. It was a look that meant 'you should be afraid'.

"Oh god, what's that look for?" I inquired hesitantly.

Sera giggled, reaching out to nudge my shoulder as she said, "You should bring your author friend to the party."

"That's easily the worst idea you've ever had, and you wanted to prank Vivienne last week," I informed her.

"Just what's so bad about rearranging all of her precious displays?" she complained, pouting.

"Because to do so, we'd have to break into her shop and I don't want Leliana to have to bail me out of jail." I sipped at my water, shaking my head at her. "Honestly Se, one of these days you're going to get caught and I'm too poor to pay for your bail."

"We'll deal with that if it ever happens. Which it won't," she said before going to fill up another patron's glass. When she returned she said, "But you should ask the Bull to let you bring a guest."

"I can't just invite a random stranger over to his place," I reasoned, drinking the rest of my water.

Sera looked at me, surprised. "He didn't tell you he changed the place for the party?"

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Iren called up the manager a couple days ago," she explained. "The party's gonna be here tomorrow."

Expression still pinched, I pulled out my phone and hmph-ed when I saw that I didn't have any new messages from my friend. "Dammit Dorian, you need to tell me these things," I griped.

"At least you know now," Sera offered. I shook my head and tucked back a loose strand of hair. I could deal with Dorian in the morning. "Want another drink?"

"Sure, why not?" I said.

Sera grinned as she popped off the top of another bottle and handed it to me. I nodded a thank you before drinking a couple swallows. I sighed, content with the taste of the cold drink.

"Still think you should ask," she said. "I mean, what harm could it do?"

"Plenty," I answered.

My best friend let out an exasperated groan. "Ugh, why are you such a pessimist?"

"Part of my natural charm," I said, channeling my inner Dorian. Sera rolled her eyes at me as she did her job, clearing off the part of the counter where an older man had just left.

"If you don't ask, then I will," she threatened me, waving her little tea towel at me. "I do have Dorian's number, and he's always with the Bull so unless they're 'having fun' we'll get a response."

I groaned loudly, disturbing a couple others around me. But I didn't care. Alcohol helped to amplify my apathy.

"Fine," I relented. "I'll ask about bringing Solas. But not right now."

Sera nodded triumphantly and I rolled my eyes at her, drinking more of my beer again.

"Good," she said. "I'm looking forward to meeting this little friend of yours."

-_-_-_-

Even without best-selling authors taking control, The Nightingale could get very busy on Saturdays. From the time we opened at eight until my first break at noon it was busy. People coming in for new books, high school students buying materials for extra credit in their English classes, and a few casual customers. I stayed on my feet nearly the entire time and felt incredibly grateful when Solas came by to take me away.

"Leliana!" I called out, poking my head around the corner into her office. She looked up from her laptop, thin framed reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose. "Come and cover for me."

She smiled warmly. "Going out?"

"Yeah, Solas is waiting for me," I said. I leaned on the doorframe, smirking as I folded my arms over my chest. "Think you can handle the front without me?"

"I'll manage somehow," she said, standing to take over. "You go have fun."

I grinned. "Thanks Leli," I said.

Solas stood at the front of the counter, leaning against the window. There were murmurs throughout the shop, people wondering if he really was who they thought he was, and that they'd seen his picture in the papers it has to be him, no really?

I could help but laugh a little.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I apologized, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"It's fine," he assured me. "Though I think I may be making a scene."

"Ignore them, it's a small town. You should've seen what happened when I came through for the first time," I said, smiling.

"I'd love to hear about that, though perhaps we should get going first," he said, giving his glasses a nudge up his nose. I nodded in agreement, moving to open the door. He smiled a thank you at me and stepped out.

We chatted as usual as we left, describing how our days had been so far. Solas had met with his friend earlier in the morning, going out for coffee with her. He shared some information about her. I learned that her name was Sonya, and that the two of them had been friends since Solas moved into the city. When I asked about there being a romantic history between them he informed me that Sonya was aromantic and didn't feel that kind of attraction.

"She doesn't care for extremely personal relationships," Solas clarified. "She's always been a lone wolf."

“Like you?” I inquired.

Solas went quiet for a moment. “I suppose so, yes.”

I noticed the way his mood had shifted, but didn’t ask about it. He returned to his normal self quickly enough as we stepped into today’s restaurant, a deli downtown that was only a couple blocks away from The Nightingale.

As we sat down at a booth with a couple glass bottle sodas and waited for our sandwiches, we fell once again into our comfortable conversation.

“I’m still curious about what you said earlier,” he started, smirking. “About living in your van?”

I nodded, thinking for a moment. “I suppose it’s only fair. It’s a story of a younger and much more adventurous version of myself.”  

“I feel as though we all have stories like that,” Solas said with a smile.

“Well, I doubt you’ve ever heard a story like mine," I started, catching his gaze and holding it. "So I told you about how my parents moved around all the time, right?" Solas nodded. "Well, they'd had a lot of money put away for me. Money for college, for the future, for anything I might have needed. That may sound nice, but they pissed me off. I was always monitored, they hovered over me all the time and it got to the point where I had to hide my notebooks from them. Made sure I was their perfect little clone, got good grades. If I did anything to spite them then they'd punish me in whatever way they could. I never had access to any kind of technology, they'd take away my books and most of the time I just stared out the window."

Solas stared at me, disbelieving. "Are you being serious?"

I laughed a little as I said, "Yes! I was stuck with them until I turned 19, and at that point I had proper access to all of that money they put aside for me. I bought a used van and stuck a mattress in the back with all of my stuff. I said goodbye to my folks and just left."

"What made you think that that would be a good idea?" Solas questioned as a waitress brought over our food.

I chewed on a fry as I thought. "I'm not sure, honestly. I wanted freedom. I met a lot of really great people along the way, though I think most of them pitied me when they shouldn't have. I went along like that for a while, until I met Leliana."

He raised a brow while he ate, eventually swallowing and asking. "And how exactly did you do that?"

"I came into town about three or four years ago, making a stop the same as I always did," I explained. I took a bite out of my sandwich, pausing the story until I felt like talking again. "Leliana was just this lady at the time, and like everyone else in a small town she'd seen me come in my white unmarked van. I'd parked in the community center's lot and stepped out to take a walk through town. I met her at the library and she invited me to her place for a meal. Usually I don't trust strangers, but she seemed nicer than most. After eating and talking we got acquainted with each other. I stuck around, moving from lot to lot so I wouldn't get ticketed, and she came to see me every day for almost a month. I'd never stayed in one area for so long before. When she offered me a job and a place to stay, I almost said no."

"Why didn't you?" he asked.

I shrugged, staring at my fries before popping a couple in my mouth. "I dunno. I've encountered more than my fair share of creeps, and she just had this... integrity about her. Still does, I suppose. She's never lied to me, never gone back on her word. So I said yes. No one had ever been so kind to me before."

"It must have been quite an unusual experience."

"Oh, you have no idea. I thought the world was going to burst into flames, or that some guy with a camera would pop out of nowhere and announce I'd been punked." Solas laughed a little at this, failing to cover it up with a cough as he reached for his water. "Seriously! I really thought it was a joke!"

"Ye of little faith," Solas joked, smirking again.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him. "Anyways! Afterwards, Leliana showed me around her shop and helped me move my stuff into her spare room. I do my share of work at The Nightingale and take care of chores around the apartment in exchange for money and a place to live. It's a pretty nice arrangement. I get decent hours, some time off on weekends and holidays, access to writing and reading material."

"It's not a normal arrangement at all," he commented.

"Not at all," I confirmed, eating more of my food. "I’m pretty fortunate that I met her when I did. If she hadn't found me I'd have gone broke in less than a year and started scraping the bottom of the barrel for work and food."

Solas nodded at this. "That's a familiar experience."

It was my turn to be curious. "Oh yeah?"

He met my gaze and nodded as he said, "Yes."

"Well, how about you share your life before meeting me? If you want, that is," I added quickly, not wanting to sound pushy.

He smiled at me. "I don't see why not."

I smiled back, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"I didn't voluntarily move into the city," he started, holding my gaze as he spoke. His grey eyes were gorgeous and I wondered what he looked like without his glasses. "When I was about eight years old... there was an accident. Both of my parents were killed in a car crash."

My chest tightened, my breath catching in my throat and making it hard to inhale. "I'm s-..."

"Don't apologize," he said, cutting me off. I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat with water. "It's not your fault. It was a long time ago and I've accepted what happened. I was furious at first, but people die. It's a fact of life."

I nodded solemnly, my food tasting a little off now. "That's understandable," I said.

"After the accident I was sent to live in the city in an orphanage," he continued, stirring the ice in his water with his straw. "There was little there to interest me while there, and when I was able to I emancipated out of the system. I received an apartment to live in and help with getting a job to try and support myself. Sonya was a friend who had also lost her family and she lived with me for a while to help with rent, until we could afford to live in separate settings. Sonya moved into town while I stayed behind in the city. She was my editor and often offered support when I most needed it. As I've mentioned, she's the one who suggested I publish my work." He smiled. "I'll have to thank her again for that. Without her, I don't think we'd have ever met."

A smile tugged the corners of my lips upward s. "I'm glad I met you."

"And I you," he said, those grey eyes meeting my green again.

My stomach gave a little twist at this, but it wasn't in a bad way. Not really nervous, but something different. I didn't mind it, but the feeling went away when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

"I'm so sorry about this," I said as I pulled it out. Solas shrugged it off as I unlocked the screen. My eyes widened.

 **From: Sera**   
**-Have u asked ur boyfriend about the party?? D &B said he's free to tag along, B really wants to meet him**

I groaned at the sight of the message, slumping a little in the booth seat until my knees bumped into Solas. "Ah! Sorry!" I said, quickly sitting back up.

"It's fine," he assured me, not paying much mind to the physical contact. "Is something wrong?"

"A friend of mine is having a party at Skyhold tonight," I explained. "It's the bar down the street. They want me to ask if you would be interested in being my plus one."

"I'd be happy to."

"I told them that you were leaving today, so..." It took a moment for me to process what he'd said. "Wait, what?"

He smiled at me, laughing a little, and I felt mildly embarrassed by this. "I said, I'd be happy to."

"I... should warn you," I started. "My other friends are a bit... eccentric. In ways that could be alarming."

Solas raised a brow at me. "Are you concerned about how your friends and I will get along?"

"I-I'm only warning you," I said, stammering a little. "I have semi-problematic friends and some are worse than others."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," he said, his head tilting a little.

_Oh, how I wish I was..._

-_-_-_-

There were a lot of items on the List of Things That Make Era Anxious. Skyrocketing to the top of said list was 'Introducing Solas To Other Friends', just above 'Picking Out Clothes For Parties'.

It was at a bar, so it would of course be casual. But just how casual? Could I get away with my jeans and hoodie combo? No, bars get warm easily. A cardigan, then. Something I could tie around my waist if it gets too hot. But then what would go under it? A t-shirt just seemed tacky but anything fancier would feel so out of place.

"Era, it's just a bar party," Leliana insisted, poking her head around the corner into my room. I was sitting on my bed in my underwear and a bra, staring at some clothes I'd laid out on my dresser. "You don't have to put so much thought into everything."

"But I do," I complained, my mind going through the process again.

"Era," she repeated. "You are a grown woman acting like a child. Just pick something before I do it for you."

"Way to play the mom card," I grumbled, my expression pinching a bit as she walked away and I directed my focus back to the clothes.

Of course Leliana was right. I'd yet to fully 'adult' in the same way that she had. Often times I felt like a child with a drinking permit and a driver's license. The fact that I was closer to my thirties than my teens was a horrifying thing to be aware of and I was still in denial.

I stood up and pulled on a pair of straight legged jeans, adding to it a black t-shirt with an abstract swirling design across the front. I checked myself in the mirror, making sure I looked presentable.

_Why the hell am I so worried, it's a fucking bar for crying out loud._

Despite my inner-self's complaints, I continued to fret as I pulled on my cardigan and tugged my hair into a ponytail as usual.

"You look fine!" Leliana called from the living room. "Now hurry up!"

I shook my head at my reflection, turning off my lamp and leaving the room.

As usual Leliana looked beautiful. Her fair hair was held back with a clip and even in a hoodie she looked too good to be true. It just wasn't fair how some people didn't have to do anything to look good.

"If you're done fussing, then we have friends to meet," she said, starting for the door.

I followed her out as she locked the door behind us. The rabbits were left in the dining area in a pen with some mixed greens in case we didn't get back for a while. After making sure that everything was in order, we left.

Living above the store was convenient for us, putting us in the middle of the downtown area. It made for easy access to everything that we needed, from groceries to alcohol. Tonight it would be alcohol. If Iren challenged me to a drinking contest there was no way that I could deny him. He may have the size, but I had the stomach.

Dorian was the first to greet me at the door, pulling me in for a hug and lifting me off the ground as he did so. "You came!"

"Yes, I did," I said, holding onto him so that I didn't fall until he let me down.

"It's good to see you Dorian," Leliana said, smiling at him.

"The feeling is mutual," he said, returning the smile. "We have the counters for the evening and Sera has managed to talk her boss into letting her take a break."

"I don't think I want to know how she managed that," I thought out loud. Sera was capable of doing things that seemed impossible, from getting people to do what she wanted to unleashing hell via pranks on our friends. I sincerely hoped that she hadn't done anything to Vivienne.

Iren grinned at me when he saw me from across the room. "There's our nomad!" he said loudly, making sure everyone could hear him. "Come on, have a drink!"

"If you insist," I laughed, unable to control the smile on my face at that point.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Sera asked, joining us and throwing an arm over my shoulder.

My face pinched as I shrugged her off of me. "He's on his way, and I already told you, Sera. He's not my boyfriend. We only just surpassed casual acquaintances."

She groaned. "Oh, come on E. Just accept the fact that you actually feel something for the guy and I'll leave you be."

"He's a friend. Maybe a closer friend, but still just a friend." I shook my head. "You guys are starting to sound like Leliana."

Varric came from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Are you guys messing with Ginger again?"

"It's fine," I assured him. Iren passed me a bottle of beer and I smiled at him, nodding a thanks as I twisted off the top. "Where's your brother?"

"Trying to flirt with Lace," Iren said, nodding towards the other end of the bar.

Sure enough Krem was standing by the stool Lace Harding, the town's newest addition, was sitting on. She was tiny, barely five foot, and had an adorable face that had made everyone fall head over heels for her. Krem was smitten and he fumbled over his words as he tried to talk with her. I could hear her giggle as he blushed.

"They're adorable," I thought out loud, smiling.

The evening was still young when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I tugged it out and checked the name. Solas. He was outside.

I stepped down from where I was sitting at the counter and pushed through my friends. Cassandra and Cullen had arrived, along with Josephine, which only added to the controlled chaos.

Solas smiled as I pushed through the door. He had dressed down from how he usually looked, wearing a basic outfit of jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. "There you are," he said.

"Here I am," I echoed, smiling back. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine, I got lost on my way here anyways," he said, a little sheepish.

"I'm so sorry about that," I apologized, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind my ear. "This place may be small but the streets are weird."

"Don't worry about it," he assured me, reaching out and touching my shoulder. It was an innocent gesture that left me with a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Um, follow me," I started, moving to hold the door open for him. He nodded a thank you and stepped inside.

Solas followed close beside me as we walked to the counters. Iren noticed me immediately, waving us over as Varric called out, "Ginger brought a friend!"

I should have been used to the attention by this point. My friends were slightly insane and I knew this. I accepted them despite their eccentricities because I loved them. But Solas was nothing like them, at least from what I knew of him. They would challenge each other to games of Wicked Grace that usually lead to Cullen losing his trousers and drinking contests. Solas seemed way too relaxed for that kind of excitement.

So he seemed...

"So you're the author we've heard _nothing_ about," Dorian said when Solas sat beside me on the stools.

"Don't mind him," Iren insisted, nudging his partner to the side. "It's nice of you to join us."

Solas nodded. "Are you the host?"

"Yeah, I am." Iren smiled. "Era doesn't usually take to people so quickly, it's good to see her making friends."

Sera came from nowhere, leaning over the counter to hand Solas a drink. She didn't say anything, only watching closely as he said thanks. My brows furrowed at this. Sera always had something to say.

"He's only in town for the week," I started, bringing my attention back to my other companions. "Solas lives in the city, he's just been visiting."

"That's a shame," Dorian commented.

"I'll be around," Solas said, looking to me with a smile. That kindness in his grey eyes was familiar to me now, a week's worth of learning allowing me to recognize his a few of his habits and expressions. I wished I had time to learn more.

"Well, how good are you at Wicked Grace?" Varric asked, coming from behind me.

"I've never played before," Solas admitted, his head tilting a little.

The evil gleam in Varric's eyes as he smiled made my stomach sink. "Well, now's your chance to learn how. Josie is getting cards ready at a table."

Eyes widening, I took hold of Solas's arm when he stood. "Careful," I warned him. "Josephine is ruthless when it comes to card games."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," he said, touching my hand as a way to reassure me. It didn’t really help. The sinking feeling in my stomach returned as I watched him follow Varric and the others to the table.

Sera appeared from behind me, draping an arm over my shoulder. She smelled like alcohol and her words slurred together slightly when she spoke.

“So that’s ‘im, huh?” she said, leaning on me.

“Yes, you lightweight lush,” I said, smirking as I guided her to a seat.

She frowned at me. “Why that one?”

“He’s a nice guy,” I said, looking over at the table. Josephine was passing out cards, a smirk on her face as Cassandra tried to get Cullen to play. He insisted that he’d only watch this time around, not wanting to risk his dignity. Solas seemed more than happy to take the seat across from her in his place.

“You’re a loony,” she said. “I mean, I guess he’s alright but he doesn’t seem like your type.”

My brow raised. “Since when do I have a type?”

“Since I met you.” Sera shook her head at me, giving her blonde hair a push behind her ears. “I mean, whatever, right? You can fuck around with whoever you want, I won’t judge.”

“You’re judging right now,” I pointed out, folding my arms over my chest. “And again, no one is fucking around with anyone.”

“You mean aside from Dorian and Bull?” she said.

“Aside from them,” I echoed. Sera laughed at me. “Se, I’m serious.”

“You say that now, but I’d be willing to bet money on you and your ‘friend’ hooking up,” she said, stealing my beer and taking a swig. “I can just tell that you’re going to be living together this time next year.”

“Well, at least you’ve given it time,” I mumbled, taking back my drink and shaking my head as I finished it off.

Sera hopped down from her stool and took my empty bottle, tossing it into a recycling bin behind the counter. “I’ll come back with another drink for you.”

“Thanks Se,” I said, smiling as I let my eyes scan over the room. On one side of the room was Krem and a group of his closer friends. They were all trying to help him impress Lace, who was still sitting on the stool. She was giggling at them all, a blush coloring her freckled cheeks. On the other side was Iren. He laughed at the sight of Josephine’s distraught expression. It was apparent that she was losing.

“What’s that you always say?” Cullen said, smirking. “‘A lady has no tells’?” He laughed. “I think you’ve finally been outplayed.”

Josephine stared at me as I walked over, speechless. “You…!”

I held my hands up in defense. “I didn’t do anything!”

“I take it that makes this round mine?” Solas said, leaning back in his chair and giving his glasses a nudge up his nose.

Varric laughed, patting Josephine on the shoulder. “Better luck next time, Kiddo.”

“No, there’s no way,” Josephine insisted, her unique accent coloring her words as a result of living all over Europe. She collected the cards and shuffled them gracefully before fanning them out on the table. “Again!”

Leliana frowned at her friend. “Josie, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked, already starting to pass cards to those still sitting.

No one argued as Josephine and a few couple of the others played another game of Wicked Grace. I’d played a few times with Varric and I was absolutely terrible at it. I watched with a smile as they went about another game. Solas maintained the same smug expression on his face throughout, and as I watched I couldn’t figure out what sort of tells he could possibly have. He just sat still, expression unchanging, and occasionally tossing in some chips. It was a heated battle between him and Josephine.

Her tells were easy once you know what they were. She would shift in her seat when she was bluffing, acting as though she was only getting comfortable. For the most part she was incredibly subtle and I occasionally thought that this was why she did legal work. But at this moment she was filled with rage at the discovery that someone was better at her favorite game than her, and it showed in how she played.

Solas, on the other hand, remained calm throughout, the alcohol mellowing him a little so that he relaxed. It was nice to see this side of him. He was a happy drunk, though only a couple drinks could hardly classify him as drunk.

Just as he’d done before he left Josie staring slack-jawed at how he played. Iren laughed at them.

“We should invite you to things like this more often,” he said, smiling.

“It would be a change of pace,” Solas said, slight discomfort in his tone. It was obvious that he was an introvert and a couple hours being around a group of strangers in a strange place was enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

After prying Josephine away from the cards, everyone eventually found their own groups. Despite the closeness of the group, we all had our own little pods. While I would usually be with Sera and Iren, tonight I joined Solas at the bar. We were alone in an attempt to recharge before interacting with more people. I was on my fourth drink by then and feeling a little buzzed. I don’t remember much of what we talked about, but there was some laughing and eventually terrible dancing. It wasn’t just us that danced, everyone had joined in, but it felt like we were the only ones and it was so much fun.

Fun had been something my life was lacking for a while until that point. It was something that reserved itself for the occasional visits at the shop from Dorian or when a song came on in The Nightingale that I could goof around to while shelving books in the back. It was teasing Maury with an apple slice while I ate the rest of the fruit. Fun was something I’d gotten used to having alone. The way Solas held my hand as we danced around to old music, and the way the drinks made us laugh at nothing together awoke a feeling inside me that I’d only felt a couple times before. It made me feel warm on the inside, a comforting feeling. It was the sort of feeling that one experiences upon seeing a loved one for the first time in years, what you feel when you hug them and the familiarity that you’ve missed overwhelms you with how real they feel against you.

I felt so alive and real and I loved every moment of it.

As the night carried on people started leaving, starting with Krem and Iren. From what I’d learned Krem and Lace had a proper date planned. I gave him a hug before he left, wishing him luck. Dorian followed them out, most of the others trailing behind. Even Leliana left before me, proclaiming herself the designated driver because she hadn’t drank anything aside from water the entire day. She set out to drive Josephine and Cullen to their homes on the other side of town, leaving me and Solas alone together.

We walked back to The Nightingale just as we’d done nearly every day this week, the only differences being that it was night time and we’d both had a number of drinks. A part of me felt a little guilty. Solas had planned on leaving earlier that evening, but driving was more than just out of the question at this point. It was just dumb to think that either of us could do anything like operate large vehicles.

“Hey, Solas,” I said when we got to the shop. He met my gaze and I couldn’t help but lose myself in the way the streetlights reflected off of his grey irises.

“Yes?” he said, looking at me expectantly.

“Would you… like to come inside? Just for something to drink. I-I mean, like water or coffee or…” Dear lord was I bad at this. I sighed loudly as I fidgeted with the charms on my bracelet, catching the heart as usual. “Wow, I must be drunk.”

“Perhaps a little,” he said, smirking. I made a face at him before rolling my eyes.

“I just… Leliana could give you a ride later but she’s not here right now and I don’t want to leave you out…”

“Era,” he said, cutting me off.

I swallowed a lump that had tried to form in my throat. “Yes?”

“I _would_ like to come inside,” he said easily, smiling kindly at me.

I nodded. “O-Okay then.”

My mind was going off in a hundred different directions and my heart pounded in my chest as I unlocked the door to the apartment, turning on the light. Solas stepped inside and into the living room.

“Sorry about any mess,” I apologized quickly, closing the door behind me as I stepped past him into the little kitchen area. “We try to be as tidy as we can.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “It’s a home, it makes sense for it to have evidence that it’s been lived in.”

“Good point,” I said, mostly thinking out loud. “So, do you want anything? We have coffee, tea…”

“Anything but tea,” Solas said. I looked behind me to find him sitting on the couch, expression pinched.

My brow raised. “You don’t like tea?” Well, that was interesting.

“I detest the stuff,” he continued, disgust in his tone. I laughed at his reaction.

“Coffee then?” I offered.

“That sounds good,” he said.

Nodding, mostly to myself, I started making us something to drink while Solas sat patiently in the living room.

I eventually carried out two mugs after learning that Solas hated not only tea, but also black coffee. He took his coffee with a number of sugars and more cream than I could tolerate. But I didn’t have to drink it, so it didn’t bother me at all.

The two of us sat on the couch, at first just talking to fill the silence. Eventually, when we ran out of things to talk about, I turned on Netflix, putting on an episode of Cosmos just to provide background noise. Solas was content with this.

I’m not exactly how, but eventually we found ourselves falling asleep against each other. Solas’s chest became my pillow and I curled up against him while he had an arm draped around my shoulder, his hand resting against my arm. It was comfortable and I enjoyed the closeness more than I’d have initially thought.

The background noise eventually faded into silence as I fell asleep. Solas and his warmth made me feel safe and comfortable and, despite the weird warmth in my chest, sleep came easier than it had in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't put this through a word counter yet, but I'm reasonably certain that this is about 6000 words long. Which makes it twice as long as any other chapter in this fic. I'm kinda happy with myself, if I'm being totally honest.
> 
> I don't have much to say right now, but thanks again for reading. If you're at this point I'm going to assume you like what I have so far, and I appreciate you sticking around. So I hope you guys have an awesome day~
> 
> Lastly, a friendly reminder that comments are always appreciated, thought not necessary ^_^


	5. Optimism Over Pessimism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'll be around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait on this chapter, life happened ._.
> 
> I apologize for any formatting issues that may appear, I was half asleep when I published this chapter...
> 
> I'm also sorry for the fact that a majority of this is just filler. I promise I'll have actual content come next chapter. I'll be starting a theatre apprenticeship next week, however, so it may take some time. 
> 
> That's enough doom and gloom. Onto the chapter!
> 
> I hope you enjoy ^_^

* * *

 

If there’s one thing I hate most in this world, it’s hangovers. It’s like how the rule of three works, but you can actually feel the effects. You mess with your system so that you can feel good and relax for an evening. Then your system sticks a rusty blade in your skull and twists until you can feel your brains leaking as revenge for you fucking around with it.

Maybe that’s a bit too gory a description…

In any case, my Sunday started off on an odd foot. Leliana had crashed at Josephine’s house on accident, returning at nearly eight in the morning to find Solas and I asleep together on the couch, cuddling innocently while Netflix asked whether or not anyone was still watching it.

She didn’t say or do anything about this, aside from turning the TV off and taking the rabbits into her room where she stayed until she went down to The Nightingale to open for the day. No word, no sound, not even a note was given to wake either of us. When given the opportunity to do so I could sleep the day away. I wasn't about to complain about the chance for extra sleep, but at the same time I was frustrated because whenever I missed work I felt like a freeloader.

Around noon or so I finally awoke to find that my hair had been freed from its tie, and that a set of fingers were running through it almost absentmindedly, as though it were just a way of fidgeting. I didn't mind. Despite the fact that relationships were on the harder side for me, I loved physical contact like this and it was why I stayed with Sera for as long as I did; she was a touchy-feely person. Being mostly asleep in this situation helped as well. It took me several moments before I finally came to the realization that it was Solas who was playing with my hair.

I had no clue what to say or how to react. We'd shifted during the night so that we were lying on the large couch, my back pressed close against Solas's front and our legs in a tangle. His free arm was draped over my torso, holding me against him while his other hand was combing gently through the little tangles in my hair. I could easily ignore the throbbing hangover headache so long as he continued, which made me very reluctant to shift and let him know I was no longer asleep.

Things were a little awkward when I finally moved and we untangled ourselves. Solas had taken his glasses off to sleep and I couldn't stop staring at him at first. He wasn't the same kind of attractive as Cullen, whose features resembled those of a stereotypical prince. Instead Solas had sharper features, his jawline more angular and the slant of his eyes had a special kind of strength to them, though it was hard to see him as anything other than adorable once I realized how red his face had become.

Solas blushed fiercely as he apologized for lingering in the apartment for as long as he did, and for how we ended up on the couch. I assured him that everything was okay and he seemed to believe me.

There are a few things I've retained about matters of psychology. It's been found that sleeping and cuddling with someone will cause a bond to form and make it so that when you awake you feel safer with the person you were with. You trust them more because they protected you while you slept and vice versa. At first it sounds kinda crazy. I mean, it's sleep. How could your subconscious put together puzzle pieces like that? How could the simple act of sleeping with someone create something like that?

But then my conscious mind started piecing things together. Solas hadn't tried anything during the night, hadn't even come close to doing so. I didn't think that he would to begin with, he'd been a good person towards me from the start. It was a comfort, and that comfort had turned into an abstract closeness that I couldn't compare to anything else.

We ate breakfast together in silence, Solas with a light blush still coloring his face. I could tell he was embarrassed, and it wasn't because his face had turned pink. When he looked at me there was a panic in his expression and he would look away quickly, acting as though something else in the room had caught his attention.

There was a certain sort of pride that came with knowing I'd made a grown man revert back into a blushing teenager.

After we finished eating I escorted Solas out to the sidewalk. The sunlight did nothing to help my headache, but I did my best to ignore it. We stood there for a few moments. It felt like we should say something to each other. He was leaving town, going back to a place that was almost an hour away.

“Will… will I see you again?” I asked, fidgeting with my bracelet. “I mean, I’d hate for the distance to ruin another friendship."

Solas smiled at me, that same kindness in his eyes as the other times that he had done so. He reached out to me, his hand on my arm as he said, "I promise you, Era, that I will do everything I can to keep in touch."

I couldn't help but smile at this. "That really means a lot, Solas. Thank you."

We said our farewells, finally, and as Solas walked away down the street I put my hand against the pocket of my jeans, feeling for my phone. For the foreseeable future it would be my only way of getting in touch with him.

Leliana looked at me with that same sly smile that she'd had on her face just the other day. She watched me through the window, leaning against the counter. I narrowed my eyes at her before heading back up to the apartment to shower and change into a different set of clothes. The headache had come back tenfold and it felt good to be clean.

When I returned to The Nightingale Leliana held out a bottle of water and a couple pills.

"What's that for?" I asked, brows furrowed as I tried to hook my charm bracelet around my wrist.

She gave me a sympathetic smile and put them in my hands before moving to put the clasp of the bracelet together. "For your hangover, silly. Just take them, it'll help with the headache."

I tossed the pills in my mouth and swallowed back some water. "Thanks Leli," I said, yawning as I sat in the chair behind the counter.

"You two are very cute, by the way," she commented.

Her statement confused me. "Excuse me?"

"You and Solas," she elaborated, organizing a stack of books on the counter. "I saw you cuddling when I got home this morning. The two of you looked made for each other."

I groaned at this. "Leli no," I whined, sinking in my seat. "I-It's not like that. We got home last night and I'd mentioned that he should wait for you to drive him to his place. We were just sitting on the couch, I-I'm not sure how we ended up like that but..."

She laughed at me, the light and airy sound cutting me off. “Relax, Era. I’m only teasing. I know you only see him as a friend.”

I twisted the star on my bracelet and stared at the bell above the door, half expecting someone to walk in. But no one did.

Life went on for the rest of the day at an increasingly slow pace. Sundays were our slow days, after all, and I busied myself with reorganizing the shelves. When my phone went off I ignored it, knowing that it was either Sera or Dorian trying to get in touch with me. Or just complaining about something. Either way I didn’t feel like talking to them, or anyone really. I was content humming along to the radio, keeping my thoughts as clear as possible.

-_-_-_-

It was on Wednesday that I finally heard anything from Solas.

I was out at lunch after Leliana had convinced me to take a break. Insisted was more like it, actually. I’d thrown myself into work, checking and double checking the shelves, getting overly fidgety when at the counter. Eventually Leliana had had enough of me. She told me to take a break, go out for lunch or something. I was reluctant, but eventually went out to the deli.

I sat at a table by a window, staring out at the street while I nibbled on my fries. Cars passed by constantly, people coming through the town to stop for gas or just to get something as they continued to the next city.

 _It’s too quiet…_ I thought, drinking my water. My phone buzzed against my thigh as if on cue, surprising me and causing my water to splash against the cup. I swore as I pulled the thing out of my pocket, unlocking the screen to see who had messaged me. My eyes widened at the name that appeared.

 **From: Solas**   
**-Hi, Era. I meant to get in touch with you sooner, I’m sorry.**

That one little message was more than enough to put the dumbest grin on my face. I bit at my lips, trying to stop but I just couldn’t. I was too giddy and excited that he’d made an attempt to get in touch with me.

 **To: Solas**   
**-No harm done. I’m happy to hear from you. How's life treating you?**

His response came quickly, to my relief.

 **From: Solas**   
**-I'm stuck in a meeting that I have no interest in being part of.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-A meeting? Shouldn't you be paying attention?**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Not necessarily, it's about my book.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-What about it?**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Because it did so well, my agent and publisher want me to make it into a trilogy.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-Is that a bad thing?**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Possibly. It's made me paranoid about the success of future novels.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-That's understandable**

 **From: Solas.**   
**-Already I'm hearing talk of the series being turned into movies. I've thought of fame, but never did I think that this would happen.**

I laughed lightly at this, leaning back in the chair with a smile on my face. _Worrier..._

 **To: Solas**   
**-I dunno, I think you're handling it quite well**

 **From: Solas**   
**-I'm going to assume that you're being sarcastic...**

 **To: Solas**   
**-You assume correctly :)**

 **From: Solas**   
**\- -_-**

The emoticon I laughed at loudly, covering my mouth when I saw that people had turned to stare at me.

"Sorry," I apologized to a woman who had started glaring at me.

 **To: Solas**   
**-You made people glare at me!**

 **From: Solas**   
**-How??**

 **To: Solas**   
**-You made me laugh!**

 **From: Solas**   
**-It is not my fault that you're easily amused.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-Hmph**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Pouting? How very mature of you.**

I shook my head at my phone, drinking some more water. My phone buzzed as he texted me again.

 **From: Solas**   
**-But what about you? Considering the time I assume that you're not at work.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-Correct again! I'm at that deli we went to on Saturday**

 **From: Solas**   
**-I envy you, I don't think that I'll be getting out of here before lunch ends.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-I’m sorry :(**   
**-I’d come bring you food if you didn’t live so far away**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Trust me, I’d much rather be with you than here. They’ve started arguing about publishing dates.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-Wish I could help you**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Keeping me distracted is definitely helping me.**

I smiled at this, as I’d done to the rest of the messages that he’d sent me. It made me so giddy to hear from him, and it was amusing to know just how frustrated his book had made him.

 _The woes of being an author,_ I thought with a smirk.

 **To: Solas**   
**-That I can definitely do**

**-_-_-_-**

I think it's safe to say that my mood changed dramatically after I'd started texting Solas. It was rare to see me without a smile, and Leliana had made a point to recognize this fact. Even Dorian said that I looked happier than usual when he came by to chat.

I’m not entirely sure why my mood brightened after the short period of apathy, but everyone placed their bets on it being the fact that my “boyfriend” had started texting me. I suppose that they’re right on one point; that Solas had kept in touch with me made me very happy.

“You’ve got that dumb smile on your face again, you loony,” Sera commented, shaking her head at me. We’d gone out for lunch and it was hard to ignore my phone.

“Is that a bad thing?” I inquired, raising a brow at her.

“No no, it’s kinda cute,” she defended, stabbing at her pasta with a fork. “Kinda. But if you keep it up your face’ll get stuck like that.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “It will not get stuck.”

“Just you watch, you’re going to get stuck and you’re going to look like an idiot for the rest of your life.” She slurped up her noodles and shook her head at me.

“You’re ridiculous,” I deadpanned, drinking some of my water. “Remind me again why I’m friends with you?”

Sera’s lips tugged into a false smile. “Because you love me?”

“Must be it,” I concluded. “Now the only question left without an answer is ‘why is that?’”

“I dunno, you’re the smart one.”

“Nope, I must be an idiot to keep hanging around a dumbass like you.”

Sera laughed at this, amused. I couldn’t help but smile a bit.

"So..." I started, getting Sera's attention. "What about that girl you told me about?"

That got her. Sera turned away from me, staring down at her pasta. "I dunno what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't, because it's not like I can see you going into the cafe across the street from the Nightingale."

Sera stammered as she tried to argue, "A-And just what's so weird about that?"

"Well, for one you hate coffee with a passion, which frankly I don't get at all.."

"It's disgusting! Like, who the hell decided that bean water would be something people would want to drink!"

I smirked, shaking my head at her. "Thank you for proving my point," I started. "But also I can tell in how your mood has changed."

Her expression fell. "Oh no, what’re you on about this time?"

"You haven't really complained to me about anything in nearly a month. A month, Sera. That's an all time record for you, and obviously it means that I've been replaced."

Sera's mouth fell open a little. "No," she said, getting defensive. "No way, no one could ever replace you."

I laughed lightly. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. But seriously, you've met Solas and we're not even a thing."

"Oh there's gotta be something between you, alright. Leliana told me about what she saw when she got back from Josie's."

I could feel my face start to get warm but I ignored it, getting fidgety instead. "Anyways! At least tell me her name."

With a sigh Sera finally relented, telling me about her new infatuation. "Her name's Tamryn. We met a couple months back but only started talking recently and hanging out at the cafe. She's really sweet and she's a huge nerd."

"Aww you guys sound perfect for each other," I teased. Sera narrowed her eyes, kicking me in the shin.

"Shut up you, that's my thing," she complained. I laughed at her again.

"Reap what you sow, Buttercup."

Sera’s expression pinched. "Hey now, that's Varric's nickname for me. You come up with your own."

"Sheesh, yes m'am," I said. She nodded, satisfied with herself.

My lunch break passed by quickly with as she continued on about her new girlfriend. I was happy for her. It was good to see that she was doing well after her last attempt. But as happy as it was, it reminded me why relationships scared me so much. The moment you enter a relationship you come to the realization that either you stay together long term or one of you breaks up with the other. It’s scary, knowing that feelings you have could just turn off. The one you love one day, who fell asleep beside you the night before, could wake up and find that they don’t want to be at your side anymore.

 _Maybe Varric’s right,_ I thought, finding myself staring at the painting on the wall behind Sera’s head. _I need to work on my pessimism..._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So mostly filler, but we get into more character stuff come next chapter. I hope you'll stick around for what I've got planned ^_^
> 
> As always comments are greatly appreciated, but never necessary~


	6. You're So Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a month, he just stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see, sorry for the nearly month wait for a new chapter. I've been working in a theatre for the last three weeks, and on top of that I've spent the last two weeks fighting with DAI. At this point it doesn't even want to launch properly...
> 
> I really wish that I had a longer update for you guys, but I needed to set up some plot points so I could move on. This is mostly filler, but it's relevant for what it is. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy~

* * *

 

"Era! Get up!" Leliana shouted from the kitchen. "We need to get ready to open up!"

Groaning, I rolled over in my bed and hugged on my pillow. I didn't want to move. Sleeping the night before hadn't been comfortable, my shoulders and back tight and sore.

I hadn't had many issues with nightmares. Even as a kid sleeping didn't bear any truly memorable dreams, meaning that the twisted and haunting figures and shapes I saw during the night left a deeper imprint on my mind than they would have otherwise. Slowly, I focused on each of my muscles and willed them to relax until I could sit up without too much discomfort.

I got dressed quickly, going into the bathroom to run my brush over my hair, the bristles catching on tangles before letting them fall loose. There was a hollow feeling in my chest and in the pit of my stomach. Ultimately I declared it hunger, although it didn't feel right either way.

My reflection stared back at me as I debated whether or not to put my hair up. There were dark splotches underneath my eyes and the rest my skin was still trying to return to its natural shade of pale-pink. With a sigh I pulled a tie from the drawer and tugged the ginger strands up into a ponytail.

"You look terrible," Leliana commented, looking at me with concern in her gaze. "Are you ill? I don't mind watching the front for the day..."

"It's sweet of you to worry, Leli, but I'm fine." She didn't look convinced, the hand she had resting on the doorknob starting to pull away. "Really! I'm alright. Didn't sleep well, that's all."

She still looked skeptical but stopped questioning me. Yawning, I followed her out the door and down to the shop.

"If you'd like, I can go out and get us breakfast," she offered as she unlocked the front.

"That sounds good," I said, hoping that food would help the empty feeling in my stomach.

She nodded and went into the back to drop off her bag. "I'll be back soon. Try not to break anything," she joked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll do what I can."

With a nod she headed for the door, leaving me to watch the front.

 **To: Solas**   
**-Good morning**

I pressed send and leaned back in the office chair, my head hanging over the back as I swayed back and forth. I hadn't been expecting an immediate response and yet somehow that's exactly what I got.

 **From: Solas**   
**-Good morning, Era. Sleep well?**

I stared at the message for a moment, still partially asleep and trying to figure out what he could possibly be doing up.

 **To: Solas**   
**-Didn’t think you’d actually be awake**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Unfortunately, I am. Though I should admit that I’ve been awake for a while now.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-Did you stay up all night??**

 **From: Solas**   
**-I was up working on the sequel until about 5, I didn’t intend to do so.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-You've gotta be kidding me**

 **From: Solas**   
**-I’m used to this, and I can get plenty of sleep once I’ve appeased my editor.**

 **To: Solas**   
**-You’re making me regret wanting to get published**

 **From: Solas**   
**-So long as you can meet deadlines it’s not a terrible way to live. My offer still stands, I can vouch for you anytime you’re ready.**

We’d talked about it before. Both he and Varric were jumping at the chance to help me get published and it made me feel a little awkward and a tad overwhelmed. I’d yet to even finish anything I thought could be worthy of seeing on paper and bound in a cover. The fact that so many of my friends were waiting for me to succeed was as anxiety inducing as it was exciting.

 **To: Solas**   
**-You may be waiting a while…**   
**-I haven’t had a single good idea since I finished that last train wreck**

 **From: Solas**   
**-You actually finished your project?**

 **To: Solas**   
**-Yeah, but mostly because I didn’t feel like writing any more**

 **From: Solas**   
**-That’s understandable.**

There was a pause as another message from him came in.

 **From: Solas**   
**-I’ve just realized you never answered my first question.**

My brows furrowed in confusion as Leliana walked in with a to-go bag. I could smell the cinnamon-sugar before I could see what she’d brought in.

 **To: Solas**   
**-What are you talking about?**

“Who could possibly have your attention this early in the morning?” she asked, nodding to my phone as she handed me a coffee. I took it and opened up the top to let it cool off a little.

“Who do you think it is?” I asked, standing up and digging through the bag to find the cinnamon rolls I was smelling. I grinned at the sight of the box.

“Before last month I would have assumed Sera or Dorian,” she started, watching me as I started eating. “But now I feel inclined to say it’s Solas.”

I nodded, licking frosting off of my fingers. “You’d be correct.”

“What’s he up to these days?” Leliana asked, starting on a roll of her own.

“Writing sequels until sun-up, it seems,” I answered, glancing back at my phone.

 **From: Solas**   
**-I asked if you slept well. Did you?**

“A sequel? For Through The Veil?” Leliana looked excited, a smile pulling her lips up. I still had yet to actually read the novel, but I tried to appear equally as interested as she said, “I’d love to see where he takes the story. It seemed as though there was so much potential for the characters.”

I nodded at her absentmindedly, wiping my hands off on a napkin before picking up my phone.

 **To: Solas**   
**-Honestly, not at all**

 **From: Solas**   
**-Has something happened?**

 **To: Solas**   
**-You’re sweet to worry, but it’s nothing I can’t handle**

His next message didn’t come as quickly as his others and I sighed, putting my phone away and starting to work.

"Era, we got a new shipment in today," Leliana said.

"Oh joy," I started sarcastically, tucking my phone into the pocket of my jeans. “I just love organizing shelves and checking inventory.”

“You’re incredibly lucky we’re friends, Era. A normal boss wouldn’t tolerate your sarcasm,” Leliana reminded me.

“I know, I know. I can’t really imagine life without this job, though,” I commented, starting for the back. “You know I still feel indebted to you, right?”

I could hear her laugh from her office. “You don’t need to.”

“I know, but still!” Shaking my head, I turned toward the box of new books and got started on my work. I knew she couldn't hear me, but I still added, "I owe you my life... I'll never be able to make that up to you..."

It took my the better part of an hour to finish just that first box. People coming in and out distracted me, a little kid came through like a storm and knocked down three shelves. I berated him and his mother, and it took more time to clean up that mess. After a few hours just trying to keep the shop intact I was more than happy to get my lunch break.  

Living and being good friends with your boss makes things feel awkward whenever you want to splurge and spend a little extra on something you really want, and I didn’t want to go out to a normal lunch. No, what I wanted was to go to Vivienne’s and eat little cakes until I couldn’t eat anymore. But of course I didn’t, because even though Vivienne had nice tendencies, she was scary as hell and a complete bitch. She knew she was a bitch and was honest about it, but she was so uptight and so set in her narrow-minded ways that it almost hurt to think about her.

So cakes were out of the question...

The deli, on the other hand, had become a place I frequented. The fries were always fresh and the bread was perfect. After a month of coming nearly everyday the kid behind the counter didn’t even have to ask my order, seeing as I just got the same Italian with fries on the side every time.

The moment I had a chance to breathe and relax I pulled my phone out. Solas still hadn't responded.

 _Considering how late he was up, I hope that he finally went to sleep._ I clicked the power button, turning off the screen and returning my attention to my food.

Things would have been fine if he'd responded later. But even after I returned to work and as the sun sank into the horizon my phone remained silent.

-_-_-_-

"You're moping."

I frowned, slumping against the counter. "Me? Moping? What gives you that idea?"

Dorian shook his head, leaning against the counter and meeting my eye level. "Either your man friend with the glasses hasn't spoken to you since he left, or you have writer's block."

"You know me so well," I said, sighing and burying my face into my arms. Dorian reached out to me and put a hand on my arm, rubbing his thumb against it. I propped my chin up on the desk and looked up to him.

“I’m your best friend, it’s my job,” he said, smiling.

I laughed lightly at this, my eyes closing as I relaxed against the counter. My voice was groggy when I spoke, “Don’t let Sera hear you say that, regardless of her new lovers she still has me claimed.”

“Alright then. You’re best male friend.” I smirked at him, shaking my head at his choice of phrasing. “And I’m going to guess that your mood is the result of both.”

“It’s been three days, Dorian. Three days! We’d been texting for more than a month and he just dropped off the face of the planet!”

“You adorable lovesick child,” he started.

“I am neither adorable, lovesick, nor a child,” I complained. “I’m barely three years younger than you, that’s nothing.”

“You are very adorable, my friend. And if this isn’t lovesickness I dread the day when you find yourself truly longing.”

I glanced up at him, expression slightly pinched. In all honesty I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about Solas. I enjoyed being around him, and seeing my phone’s screen light up to tell me he’d texted had put a weird feeling in my chest. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but Solas I knew I liked. I liked the way he spoke, his mannerisms, and his  I knew I enjoyed having him as a friend. Anything else would be… I’m not really sure what it would be. Different seemed like the proper blanket term to use, as vague as it sounds. I wasn’t used to the weird feelings. It was very unsettling.

"Era, have you tried to text him first since he didn't respond," Dorian asked.

I bit at my lips, avoiding his gaze. "I have."

"There's more to it," he noted, lowering himself to try and meet me. "Your face gives everything away, you know."

"I've texted him likely more than socially acceptable..." I admitted. My messages would often start curious, then become panicked before finally relaxing into something... less panicky. "I've also attempted to call him. It always rings and rings and goes to voicemail. So his phone isn't dead but if it's not then maybe I did something wrong or I annoyed him and now he doesn't want to talk to me. But he wouldn't just stop without any notice and..." I trailed off when I noticed him watching me. "I feel like I should stop talking now... sorry."

Dorian's expression shifted from pity to concern and he put a hand on my shoulder. "You're a bit long winded, but never annoying. Honestly, Era, you're irresistible."

"No," I said automatically, rejecting his compliment.

"Yes," he shot back. "Era, I don't think you truly understand the power you have over people."

I sat up and gawked at him. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"

"And your oblivious nature just makes you that much more charming!" I gave him an annoyed look before slouching further. Dorian placed his hands on mine and caught my gaze. "Listen to me. You have one of the brightest spirits that I have ever had the pleasure of being around. Even though you're wary around people, you can loosen anyone up with a few words and a smile. No matter how you feel about it, everyone around you knows it."

The look in his hazel eyes was persuasive but I was still unsure. I was pessimistic, a bit of an asshole, and here Dorian was trying to convince me that I was the kind of person that could make others happy. It didn’t make much sense, but upon remembering that I’d gotten Vivienne of all people to relax when she was stressing over a wedding cake I decided to take his comments into consideration.

I turned my hands over on the desk, pressing my palms to his and lacing our fingers together. I felt fortunate to have him with me at that moment, my thoughts taking a turn for the worst as I said, “I… I just really hope that he’s okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see that? Title drop! Of sorts...
> 
> I channeled a little of my social anxiety to write Era's freaking out. I like her character a lot, she feels real in some ways to me. I hope you guys like her as well ^_^  
> So I've got this headcanon that Dorian gets more touchy-feely the closer he is to someone, which explains the way he and Era act towards each other in my writing. They've been friends for a while at this point.  
> And Solas has stopped existing. Yup. Just a hint, we're closely approaching my AU-ified version of the Wisdom chapter of Solas's story. But that's all you get
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! As always comments are greatly appreciated but never necessary~


End file.
